|
June 25, 2002
Contact:
Lynn Kimbrough, 720-913-9025
NUISANCE LIQUOR
STORE CLOSES
A lengthy
neighborhood battle pitting residents against a liquor store in
Capitol Hill is over as citizens win the final round. The
store, Bonanza Liquors, raised the white flag and called it
quits late last week saying it would voluntarily surrender its
liquor license and close its doors. Its closure is an example
of the community justice concept in action working to improve
the quality of life in individual neighborhoods.
The liquor store
has been a plague on the neighborhood around 13th and
Pearl for the last several years, selling alcohol to minors and
visibly intoxicated people. Neighbors battled a constant
barrage of trash, liquor bottles, people urinating in their
yards, and people sleeping or passed out on their sidewalks.
They tried working with the store to correct these issues, but
their efforts failed. A grassroots citizen effort was launched
to formally document violations and their impact. It was led by
a neighborhood group called “The Unsinkables” and the Capitol
Hill Community Justice Council, a program of the Denver DA’s
Office, working with the Denver Police Department as well.
With support from
the Denver City Attorney’s Office and Assistant City Attorney John Poley,
citizens armed themselves with detailed documentation of liquor
violations and appeared at a Denver Excise and License hearing
last week prepared to testify. The battle ended just minutes
before the hearing was to be held when Bonanza Liquors
surrendered its license to authorities.
###
|
